Alternating-current-rectifying apparatus.



A (J. P. STEINMETZ. v ALTERNATING CURRENT REGTIPYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1904.

Witnesses: Inventor: Charles P. Steinmetz, fiw W Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

UNITED STAZDES.

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CHARLES P. srnrnnnrz, or SCHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, Assrenon TO GENERAI:ELE(TRI(J COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

ALTERNATING-CURRENT-RECTIFYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, .1909.

Original application filed March 23, 1903, Serial No. 149,112. Divided. and this application filed April 30, 1904.

Serial No. 205,652.

. whereby current either of high or low voltage may be rectified without the use of any apparatus with moving parts.

My invention contem lates more especially the rectification o multiphase alternating currents, though it is to be understood that certain of its features of novelty are applicable also to single phase alternating current systems- When the rectification of multiphase alternating current is, undertaken, Iprovide selective circuits each receiving a series of current impulses of a single polarity. Half Waves of the same polarity I combine to produce a more or less uniform resulting current. Since one selcctivc circuit or set of circuits utilizes waves of one polarity whileanother selective circuit or set of circuits utilizes Waves of the op osite polarity, I am enabled to employ to better advantage the generating capacity of the supply system.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention reference is to be had to the following specification taken in connection connected to a connir'o'n point as 7.

with the accompanying drawings representing one embodiment of my invention.

The novel features which characterize my invention I have poiiited outwith particularity in the appended claims.

The rectifying system shown in the drawings provides, among other features, for utilizing both polarity waves of current derived from an inter-connected set of windings, such for example as Y-connected threephase transformer secondaries. I

In the drawings, the windings 1, 2, and 3 represent the primaries of a set of transformers receiving energy from some suitable source of three-phase alternating current. The corresponding secondary windings are indicated at 1, 5, and ii, and are Y-connectcd, or in other Words. hauc one terminal of each ample singlc-ph ase, side In order to rectify the current from the secondary windings and to utilize both polarity Waves roduced thereby, 1 provide two sets of recti 'ying apparatus, one set for receiving waves of one polarity and the otherset for receiving Wavesof the opposite po larity.

One rectifying apparatus is indicated at S and consists, as shown, of an exhausted envelop or container 9' provided with electrodes. Of these electrodes, three are located in the u per portion of the container as at 10, 1 1 and 12 and may consist of bodies of carbon, gra hite, iron or the like. By means of suita le leading-in conductors the electrodes are connected respectively to the free ends of the secondary windings 4, 5, and 6. The electrodes already referred to oper ate as ositive electrodes or anodes. Yt'ith those e ectrodes cooperates a mercury electrode or cathode 13 electrically connected to one side 14 of a three-wire system the neutral 15 of which is connected to the junction ofneutral point 7 of the Y-connected seconda rice 4, 5 and 6. A mercury starting electrode 16 cooperates with the cathode 13 for' the purpose of producing a starring arc in the rectlfier. The energy for supplying this starting arc may be derived from any suitable source of direct current, such for example as a small storage battery 17 connected with its positive terminal to the electrode 16 and its negative terminal to the electrode 13, Upon tippin the rectifier 8 so as to cause mercury toow between the two mercury electrodes, and'then tipping back the rectifier so as to causetlie mercury to separate between the eIec-trOide's a starting are 1s produced which is of suclfpolarity as to make electrode 13 negative- -"lhe excitation of the negative electrode, orcathode thus produced enables positiv'e wa'ves of current to flow from the positive electrodes 10, 11 and 12 through the rectifien' thus producing an overlapping series or sequence of current. Waves which are combined'and fed to the three-wire system. The rectifier 8. l1o\v-- ever, utilizes Waves of" one direction only and discards waves of theopposite polarity. In order to utilize these latter waves I provide rectifying devices of such character as to receive negative waves from the windings 4, 5, and 6. For this purpose I may employ various types of rectifying) devices, as for ex: ranch rectifiers as tive or ca-thode at 22, and the side branch.

electrode at 23. A battery or similar source of direct current is used for creating a continually flowing stream or current between the electie'd'es 23 and 22. This side branch or are is in existence all the time and permits current, when in the proper direction, to flow from the positive electrode 21 to the negative electrode 22, but does not permit the flow of current in the reverse direction. The other rectifiers 19 and 20 are of similar construction to that described and therefore require no further mention. These single-phase rectifiers 18, 19 and 20 are connected to the free ends or leads of the sec.- ondary windings 4, 5 and 6, but, unlike the rectifier 8, are connected with their negative electrodes to these leads rather than the positive electrodes. The ositive electrodes of the single-phase recti ers are all connected together and to a lead 25 going to the other side 26 of the three-Wire system. Under these conditions it will be noted that all the positive waves of current go to the rectifier 8 and all the negative waves to the multiple rectifiers or devices 18, 19 and 20.

It will be evident that when tl.e loads on the two sides of the three-wire system are equal no current'will flow over the neutral conductor 15. When, however, the loads become unequalcurrent will return to the neutral of the Y-connected secondaries and in doin so will traverse counter magnetizing coils 27% 28 and 29 on the three'transformers, thus producing magnetiz'in efiects which will counter-balance the uni-directional magnetizationof the secondaries 4, 5 and ,6'due to the inequality of the waves of one polarity witlirespect to the waves of opposite polarity. This-has the efii'ect of preventing excessive malgnetizingcurrents in the transformers.

he load on the three wire system may be i of any desired character, such for examp as storage batteries 30 and 31 and lamps or other devices 32 and 33. As before stated,-

- when the loads on the two" sides of the three.- wire system are equal there will be no return flow of current throughthe neutral conductor 15. In this case one rectifying apparaas the case may be.

It will be evident that numerous changes maybemade in the embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof for which reason I do not wish to be limited to the devices shown and described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is, 1. The combination of a vapor rectifying device, current generating windings for applying the waves of current of one polarity only to said rectifying device, and countermagnetizing coils traversed by direct current produced by the rectifier.

2. The combination of transformer windings connected so as to have a point of neu tral potential, a vapor rectifying device receiving from said windings current waves .of one olarity, and counter-magnetizing coils for t e respective secondaries traversed by current from said rectifier;

3. The combination with a threehase source having a point of neutral potential, of

a vapor rectifying device connected to saidsource. and receiving unidirectional current 1m ulses therefrom, and counter-magnetlzm -co' s for said source connected to said neutra olnt and receiving current from said ITGCtI-r plied with current by said rectifier, a .neutral' or said three-wire circuit, and counter-mag netizing coils for said transformer windin s connected between the neutral point of said windings and the neutral o fsaid distribution circuit. T-

5. The combination of aplurality of transformer windings connected to a common neutral point and traversed by current impulses of-one polarity, a vapor rectifier re-. ceiving said current, a consumption circuit connected therewith, and counter-magnetizing coils for said windings traversed by said uni-directional impulses.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of April, 1904.

Witnesses; I

BENJAMIN B.HULL,-' y ,sHELEuORFoRD.

CHARLES .r. STEINMETZ. 

